A gold object was stolen by Vikings and later
buried with its new owner in Norway. That twist of fate probably saved a
part of one of the oldest known British croziers.

If
Norwegian Vikings had not stolen this part of a British crozier, it
would have almost certainly been lost. (Photo: Åge Hojem/NTNU University
Museum)

Griffin Murray, an Irish archaeologist, visited
the University Museum of the Norwegian University of Science and
Technology (NTNU), Norway, last year. He then took a closer look at the
museum’s grave finds.
His visit resulted in new information about
the find that is now known to be part of a crozier from northern
England – what it looked like and how the Vikings might have plundered
it.
“This bit has been part of the decoration in the middle of a
staff, or a crozier, from the late 700s, or the beginning of the
800s," says Murray
"It has probably come from the north of England, and not Ireland as we first thought. The decoration doesn’t look Irish.”
The object was exhumed in 1961 from a Viking grave in Romsdal, central Norway.

One of the oldest

The Irish researcher is involved in an
intensive research project on Irish archaeological treasures. He has
studied several fragments of ancient Irish and English croziers and
thinks the NTNU University Museum’s find is important in understanding
how croziers looked during the earliest periods.
He believes the most striking aspect of the gold object is the era it comes from.
“This is the oldest known English fragment, and the only one that dates from before 1000 BCE, ”Murray says.
“If the Norwegian Vikings had not stolen it, it would most probably have been lost,” he states.

----

on Anders Risvaag, who is responsible for the museum’s archaeological
collections, says it was rewarding to be visited by the Irish
researcher.

“Murray is one of the foremost experts in the field,
and he provided us with new and exciting information about the Viking
finds that are important to share,” he comments.
Risvaag is very
interested in determining just where the University Museum’s
archaeological finds come from, and whether or not they are from a real
Viking raid.
“This find tells us that the Vikings sailed to the
British Isles with swords and axes in their hands and stole croziers and
other items,” he says.

From bad to good

Risvaag also believes that the Viking raid may
have saved the part of the crozier, noting that most of the croziers
that remained in the British Isles were melted down for other uses.
“In
Norway and other Scandinavian countries, these artefacts were buried as
grave goods, which is why the finest objects are usually found in
gravesites,” he says.
“This tradition now appears to have saved one of the oldest croziers we know of today.”

Easy targets

The earliest raids on churches took place from just
before the year 800, and continued throughout the ninth century at an
intense level, according to Murray. He believes that the Vikings
chose churches as their goal, not only because they contained riches,
but also because they were defenceless and unarmed.
“When
Norwegian Vikings sailed to Ireland and the British Isles, their goal
was to steal the most valuable stuff. Monasteries and churches were
obvious, easy targets, especially because the Vikings were heathens and
had no religious convictions or relationship to the bishopric,” says
Murray.

Worn as jewellery

Griffin Murray (Photo: Åge Hojem/NTNU University Museum)

Because
Norway did not have bishops or Christianity in the 800s, the stolen
religious objects were used in ways that were radically different from
their original intended use.
“This piece of crozier was cut in
half and used as adornment. We only have half of it, so we do not know
how the other half was used,” says Risvaag.
“This bit has probably been used as a kind of decoration on a dress, or as jewellery worn by a wealthy woman,” he adds.

A rich Viking woman’s grave

Archaeologists also found a number
of fine objects in the same burial mound in Romsdal, in addition to the
bit of gold from the crozier. The grave contained a weight, coins and
beads as well as a reliquary, which Risvaag believed belonged to a rich
woman.
A reliquary is a container for relics from a Christian
saint, or for objects that are connected in some way with Jesus.
Reliquaries were often shaped like a building, preferably a church, and
were covered with gems, precious metals and enamel.
“This is a
fine box in solid wood covered with tin. Most likely there would have
been several decorations on the reliquary that have broken off, but the
container remains a fine precious artefact from an estate with high
status in western Norway. A wealthy Viking woman of high status was
probably buried in this grave and was given the reliquary and the bit of
gold from the crozier as a gift from a Viking raid to the UK,” Risvaag
says.

Belong to Norway

Irish newspapers followed up on Murray’s
research, and raised the question of whether or not Ireland can ask to
have the objects repatriated.
Risvaag says this is unlikely.
“These
objects have lain in the soil since the Viking Age. Everything that is
excavated today that is older than the Reformation in 1537 is the
property of the State. If the material had been illegally brought into
Norway today, it would have to be returned to the country it originally
came from,” he explains.

n
a dark and murky bog in the damp meadows of Alken, Denmark,
archaeologists made a startling discovery – the bodies of what appeared
to be an entire army of soldiers dating back some 2,000 years. More than
two hundred ancient warrior skeletons were unearthed in 2009, along
with a small number of spearheads, shields, clubs, and axes, and
scientists have been studying them ever since, trying to piece together
their final moments.
The excavation took place in an area close to Jutland's Lake in
Denmark, and it was no easy task as the bodies were some two meters
below the surface of the thick bog. According to Ejvind Hertz, Curator
of Archeology at Skanderborg Museum, the low-oxygen content of the water
had delayed decomposition so the bones were still in a well-preserved
state.
The human remains, which have been found to belong to males between
the ages of roughly 13 and 45, date to a time in which the Roman Empire
had extended its northern border some 185 miles south of Alken. This
expansion resulted in unrest, skirmishes with Germanic tribes, and
increased militarization of local peoples, leading researchers to
believe that the men had died in battle and their bodies dumped in the
bog. Indeed, their bones revealed traumatic injuries such as slices,
cuts, and blows from sword, axes, and other weapons.

Archaeologists from Skanderborg Museum, Moesgård Museum and Aarhus
University have been working to find out who these victims were and what
the sequence of events were that led to such a gruesome ending for this
army of soldiers. Based on latest findings, some scholars now believe
that the bodies of the victims underwent complex post-war rituals before
being cast into the bog some 6 months after their deaths.
Several sacrificial sites of a different nature had been observed in
nearby areas, leading to the suggestion that ritualistic activity was
commonplace in the region at the time. For instance, one site known as
Forley Nymolle was believed to be an area of daily rituals in which the
inhabitants made offerings of pottery, wooden objects, and various stone
collections. Archaeologists and other experts maintain that one of the
wooden objects recovered at the site is a goddess figurine, and perhaps
may have been the deity that they were making offerings to.
But there were even more clues leading scientists to believe that the
Alken Wetlands area was a location for complex sacrificial events.
Among the Alken Enge remains, archaeologists found a wooden stick
threaded through the pelvic bones of four different men. “Our studies
reveal that a violent sequel took place after the fallen warriors had
lain on the battlefield for around six months," said Mads Kähler Holst
from Aarhus University.

Four pelvic bones on a stick are shown (Alken Enge). Credit: Peter Jensen, Aarhus University

In what the researchers believe formed part of a religious ritual in
preparation for offering the remains as a sacrifice, the bodies of the
warriors were entirely defleshed, the bones sorted, and in some cases,
they were threaded onto sticks. The pile of remains were then tossed
into water, along with the remains of slaughtered animals and clay pots
that probably contained food sacrifices.

"It seems that this was a holy site for a pagan religion –
a sacred grove – where the victorious conclusion of major battles was
marked by the ritual presentation and destruction of the bones of the
vanquished warriors," said Holst.

The buried army at Alken Enge are not the first set of human remains
to have been found in this area. The Illerup River which runs into Lake
Mosso is well known for its store of human bones along with other finds
such as the world-renowned weapons offering near Fuglsang Forrest.
Archeologists have not been able to determine the nationality of the
slaughtered warriors based on the objects found alongside them, as very
few weapons were found at the site and radiocarbon dating on those that
were found has revealed that they could not have belonged to the buried
army. However, according to Hertz, “some DNA has been preserved, so we
can get a good profile of what Iron Age man looked like. An
anthropological analysis of the bones will provide us with a picture of
their diet and their physical appearance”. It is also hoped that the
DNA analysis may help to reveal who the soldiers were and where they
came from. Featured image:Skulls are scattered around thighbones and joints in the great mass grave at Alken. Photo: Skanderborg MuseumSuggested Reading
An entire army sacrificed in a bog – Heritage Daily
The bog army – archaeology.org
An entire army sacrificed in a bog – Science Nordic
Macabre finds in the bog at Alken Enge – Science Codex
Evidence of gruesome ancient ritual unearthed in Denmark – History.com
Corpses at battle of Alken Enge were desecrated – The Dragon’s Tales
By Susan Ardizzoni
- See more at: http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/alken-enge-and-buried-army-002120#sthash.uhZBPOyD.dpuf

n
a dark and murky bog in the damp meadows of Alken, Denmark,
archaeologists made a startling discovery – the bodies of what appeared
to be an entire army of soldiers dating back some 2,000 years. More than
two hundred ancient warrior skeletons were unearthed in 2009, along
with a small number of spearheads, shields, clubs, and axes, and
scientists have been studying them ever since, trying to piece together
their final moments.
The excavation took place in an area close to Jutland's Lake in
Denmark, and it was no easy task as the bodies were some two meters
below the surface of the thick bog. According to Ejvind Hertz, Curator
of Archeology at Skanderborg Museum, the low-oxygen content of the water
had delayed decomposition so the bones were still in a well-preserved
state.
The human remains, which have been found to belong to males between
the ages of roughly 13 and 45, date to a time in which the Roman Empire
had extended its northern border some 185 miles south of Alken. This
expansion resulted in unrest, skirmishes with Germanic tribes, and
increased militarization of local peoples, leading researchers to
believe that the men had died in battle and their bodies dumped in the
bog. Indeed, their bones revealed traumatic injuries such as slices,
cuts, and blows from sword, axes, and other weapons.

Archaeologists from Skanderborg Museum, Moesgård Museum and Aarhus
University have been working to find out who these victims were and what
the sequence of events were that led to such a gruesome ending for this
army of soldiers. Based on latest findings, some scholars now believe
that the bodies of the victims underwent complex post-war rituals before
being cast into the bog some 6 months after their deaths.
Several sacrificial sites of a different nature had been observed in
nearby areas, leading to the suggestion that ritualistic activity was
commonplace in the region at the time. For instance, one site known as
Forley Nymolle was believed to be an area of daily rituals in which the
inhabitants made offerings of pottery, wooden objects, and various stone
collections. Archaeologists and other experts maintain that one of the
wooden objects recovered at the site is a goddess figurine, and perhaps
may have been the deity that they were making offerings to.
But there were even more clues leading scientists to believe that the
Alken Wetlands area was a location for complex sacrificial events.
Among the Alken Enge remains, archaeologists found a wooden stick
threaded through the pelvic bones of four different men. “Our studies
reveal that a violent sequel took place after the fallen warriors had
lain on the battlefield for around six months," said Mads Kähler Holst
from Aarhus University.

Four pelvic bones on a stick are shown (Alken Enge). Credit: Peter Jensen, Aarhus University

In what the researchers believe formed part of a religious ritual in
preparation for offering the remains as a sacrifice, the bodies of the
warriors were entirely defleshed, the bones sorted, and in some cases,
they were threaded onto sticks. The pile of remains were then tossed
into water, along with the remains of slaughtered animals and clay pots
that probably contained food sacrifices.

"It seems that this was a holy site for a pagan religion –
a sacred grove – where the victorious conclusion of major battles was
marked by the ritual presentation and destruction of the bones of the
vanquished warriors," said Holst.

The buried army at Alken Enge are not the first set of human remains
to have been found in this area. The Illerup River which runs into Lake
Mosso is well known for its store of human bones along with other finds
such as the world-renowned weapons offering near Fuglsang Forrest.
Archeologists have not been able to determine the nationality of the
slaughtered warriors based on the objects found alongside them, as very
few weapons were found at the site and radiocarbon dating on those that
were found has revealed that they could not have belonged to the buried
army. However, according to Hertz, “some DNA has been preserved, so we
can get a good profile of what Iron Age man looked like. An
anthropological analysis of the bones will provide us with a picture of
their diet and their physical appearance”. It is also hoped that the
DNA analysis may help to reveal who the soldiers were and where they
came from. Featured image:Skulls are scattered around thighbones and joints in the great mass grave at Alken. Photo: Skanderborg MuseumSuggested Reading
An entire army sacrificed in a bog – Heritage Daily
The bog army – archaeology.org
An entire army sacrificed in a bog – Science Nordic
Macabre finds in the bog at Alken Enge – Science Codex
Evidence of gruesome ancient ritual unearthed in Denmark – History.com
Corpses at battle of Alken Enge were desecrated – The Dragon’s Tales
By Susan Ardizzoni
- See more at: http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/alken-enge-and-buried-army-002120#sthash.uhZBPOyD.dpuf